SU Law Clinic recognised as a leading African law firm

The SU Law Clinic has been awarded the Corporate Counsel Association of South Africa (CCASA) Achievement Award at the 2018 African Legal Awards. The award recognises exceptional achievement within Africa’s legal community. The Law Clinic is the first recipient of the award. The Law Clinic received the award immediately after Constitutional Court Judge Edwin Cameron was awarded the CCASA individual Achiever Award. Only Judge Cameron and Dr Broodryk, head of the Law Clinic, were requested to deliver speeches at the awards ceremony.

According to Dr Broodryk, “[w]e are fortunate that we have come a long way in our attempts and ability to champion justice and to achieve systemic social change. The recognition by CCASA of our achievements should serve to motivate those individuals and firms who share our objectives where we, as members of the African legal fraternity, appreciate and endorse the importance of the law being accessible to everyone. It also greatly assists us in our continuous quest to bring our vision into reality...”

The SU Law Clinic has been involved in significant social-impact matters, such as the successful high court application a few years ago to have emolument attachment orders obtained by micro-lenders set aside and, more recently, the call for tampon tax to be abolished and a high court application relating to debt collection practices.

Previously known as the SU Legal Aid Clinic, the SU Law Clinic underwent a name change earlier this year to reflect the broad scope of its work, namely legal aid, clinical legal education as well as practical legal training. The entity has also relocated to Crozier Street, directly opposite its parent Faculty of Law.